This invention relates to window hinges for flexibly connecting together two adjacent transparent panes. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved hinge having sufficient strength to connect together two adjacent panes in a window of an automobile having a fold-down convertible top.
Automobiles having fold-down convertible tops are well-known in the art. These fold-down tops have traditionally included a rear window in order to provide visibility to the rear of the automobile. Usually the rear windows employed in these automobiles have been made from a flexible plastic material. Rear windows made from a flexible plastic material, however, have tended to become brittle and crack over time. Also, such windows have tended to lose their transparency over time due to discoloration, scratches, and the like.
In view of the disadvantages of plastic rear windows, windows made from other transparent materials, such as glass, have been proposed for use in convertible tops for automobiles. In order to use rear windows made from a non-flexible material, such as glass, the rear windows must be of a size to permit the convertible top to fold-down for compact storage. As an attempt to achieve a permissible size, it has been proposed to use a folding glass window made from two glass panes connected together by a flexible hinge.
Attempts have been made in the past to create a reliable, flexible hinge for connecting together two glass panes for use as a folding rear window in a convertible top. For example, a hinge has been made from an elongated bead of a silicon rubber-based adhesive material or the like bonded between adjacent edges of the glass panes. Unfortunately, this hinge has not been fully successful since it has tended to separate, crack or tear after an inadequate number of folding cycles.
A further attempt at making a flexible hinge for connecting together two glass panes of a rear window for use in a convertible top is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,727. This hinge is made from a unitary extrusion of flexible material having two opposing U-shaped channels joined together by an intermediate hinge segment located to one side of the unitary extrusion. This hinge, however, has the disadvantage of only permitting folding movement of the rear window in one direction due to the location of the intermediate hinge segment. Further, since a substantial amount of stress tending to pull the two panes apart occurs at the hinge when the automobile top is in the up position, the strength of this hinge is questionable because the two opposing U-shaped channels are joined only by the intermediate hinge segment.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved flexible hinge capable of reliably connecting together two transparent panes for use as a rear window in a convertible top.